Head of School's message
At Heath Lane Nursery, the wellbeing and safety of all children and families is always our priority. Indeed safe is one of our core values. We understand that from time to time families may need additional support, advice, or someone to talk to, and we would like to remind parents and carers of the support services available at Heath Lane and within Hertfordshire.
Early Help services are available for families who may benefit from extra support with challenges such as parenting, emotional wellbeing, behaviour, family relationships, attendance, housing, finances, or other difficulties that may be impacting family life. Accessing support early can often prevent worries from becoming bigger concerns and helps families receive the right support at the right time. Families First is the term used in Hertfordshire for services that work together to support families. Families First
As part of our commitment to safeguarding and supporting children, we have 3 Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) at Heath Lane Nursery, who are available to offer support, guidance, and advice to families. If you have any worries about your child’s wellbeing, safety, or your family circumstances, please do not hesitate to speak to us confidentially. We are here to help and support wherever we can. Safeguarding information is available on our website. Keeping our Children Safe | Heath Lane Nursery
If you would like further information about any of these services or would like support accessing help, please do speak to a member of our team.
Dates coming up:
May Bank Holiday - Monday 4th (Nursery Closed)
Week beginning 18th May children will be visiting the local library, further information to follow.
May Half Term - Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May (Nursery Closed)
Reminders:
Your fortnightly Catch up Calls will be on the following days:
Owls - 9.30am - 11am - Monday
Woodpeckers - 9.30am - 11am - Tuesday
Badgers - 1.30pm - 2.30pm - Tuesday and Wednesday
Robins - 9.30am - 11am - Wednesday
Butterflies - 9.30am - 11am - Friday
Hedgehogs - 1.30pm - 2.30pm - Friday
Join our nursery's social media pages to stay connected.
Book & Rhyme of the week
The next Structured Stories Book is "Jack and The Beanstalk" by Mara Alperin and Mark Chambers.
Next week the story will move into the innovation phase of our Structured Storytelling programme, where the children will make changes to the original story such as characters, settings, or events while maintaining the structure and style of the original text. This will involve activities such as creating story maps and expressing their unique ideas through language, both written and spoken. This phase is essential in fostering a love for storytelling and a deeper understanding of narrative structures.
Our key vocabulary of the text is "Poor", "Magic", "Strange", "Beanstalk", "Giant/Giantess" and "Cleaver".
Please see below link to story;
The Rhyme of the week for next week is "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle".
This Rhyme has a focus on how we care for our planet and sustainability.
Language of the week
We are lucky to have a rich and diverse community with lots of different languages. Do you speak Hindi, Punjabi, Gurati or Albanian? Are you available next week on a Wednesday or Thursday? If your answer is YES, then we'd be delighted to have you reading a story in your home language to the children! They love a Secret Storyteller! We are flexible with the timing so please speak to us if you can come in another day/time.
Please look out for our next week's languages in the newsletter, it might be your home language next!
Learning at home
Continue to take care of your plant at home.
How is your seed doing since you planted it? Have you been remembering to water it regularly? Is it placed in a sunny spot, such as near a window?
Take some time to look closely—have you noticed any changes? Maybe a small shoot or new leaves starting to grow?
We would love to see how your plants are getting on, so please feel free to send in photos of your growing plant!
Healthy me, Healthy world
As part of our Healthy Me, Healthy World focus, we are continuing to explore how we can care for our planet by living more sustainably. Inspired by the book 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World, we have been discussing the idea, “I enjoy making toys from old boxes.” This has helped the children understand that many everyday items can be reused before they are thrown away. Our junk modelling area has been very busy, filled with creativity and imagination, and we are so grateful for the wonderful donations from our families through our donation station.
With so many deliveries arriving recently, the children have had plenty of boxes to explore and transform, even working together to build an impressive castle from old cardboard boxes! Through these experiences, the children are learning the importance of reusing materials, reducing waste, and using their imaginations in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Success story of the week
This week at nursery, the children have made the most of the wonderful sunshine, spending lots of time outdoors exploring and playing together.
During lunchtimes, they have also been developing their understanding of wellness and mindfulness through engaging in calming yoga sessions outside.
Yoga supports physical development, as well as personal, social and emotional wellbeing, helping children to build balance, coordination, and a sense of calm in a nurturing environment.
